COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY RECORD March 25, 1994 Vol. 19 No. 21
BRYN MAWR PROVOST TO LEAD BARNARD
Judith R. Shapiro, provost of Bryn Mawr College, was named
president of Barnard College Monday at a special meeting of the
Board of Trustees. She will be the sixth president of the 105-
year-old college.
The announcement was made by Patricia F. Green, chairwoman of the
Board. Shapiro will take office this July. She succeeds Ellen V.
Futter, who headed the college for 13 years before becoming
president of the American Museum of Natural History in November,
1993.
In assuming the Barnard presidency, Shapiro--who was born and
raised in New York City--returns to her roots. A noted
anthropologist, she received her Ph.D. from Columbia in 1972. She
joined the Bryn Mawr faculty in 1975 and became provost in 1986.
Like Barnard, Bryn Mawr is a select and independent liberal arts
college for women.
"In Judith Shapiro, Barnard has had the good fortune to find the
perfect combination of scholar and academic administrative
leader," said Green. "Deeply engaged in the academic enterprise,
she is familiar with issues of curriculum and scholarship, and
well-suited to maintain the high intellectual and teaching
standards that characterize Barnard and its faculty. She has a
demonstrated commitment to undergraduate liberal arts education
for women as well as an impressive record of curricular
innovation.
"Her extensive scholarship on gender and diversity and her
academic training prepare her, too, for dealing with the kind of
student life issues that are current on campuses nationwide.
"This is an exciting moment for Barnard, which enjoyed 13 years of
outstanding leadership by Ellen Futter. In choosing Professor
Shapiro, we go from strength to strength; with her extraordinary
intellect, vision, perspective, and dynamic presence, we know she
is the person who will best position Barnard for the 21st
century."
Shapiro was selected by a committee of trustees, faculty and
students who met over a period of eight months. More than 250
candidates were nominated and 25 individuals were interviewed for
the position.
"It is with enormous enthusiasm and a sense of privilege that I
come to Barnard," Shapiro said. "It is an institution that
reflects my deepest values and commitments. As my own history
suggests, I have a profound dedication to women's education, and
Barnard not only has an important heritage as a pioneer in this
mission, but it also stands at its forefront today. It is a
rigorous, liberal arts college where young women learn to play to
their strengths.
"It is also blessed with the kind of student body coveted by
college administrators and faculties everywhere--spirited women
with bright and lively minds, as inquisitive in intellect as they
are cosmopolitan in character. That they choose this school, in
this most cosmopolitan of cities, is hardly surprising, and I look
forward eagerly to working with them.
"Barnard's affiliation with a major research university like
Columbia and its location in New York, my home town, makes this
position all the more exciting. Being offered the opportunity to
lead this college is a gift, and I am very grateful."
As provost at Bryn Mawr, where she was the chief academic officer
with both budgetary and programmatic responsibilities, Shapiro
successfully helped navigate the institution through the financial
challenges facing higher education while forging a partnership
with the faculty that maintained the highest standards of academic
excellence.
In her tenure, she played an active role in recruiting, hiring and
retaining a highly regarded faculty. She provided critical support
and resources for junior faculty to engage in research. She also
played a key role in revitalizing the undergraduate curriculum
through innovative new interdisciplinary programs with neighboring
Haverford College, a cooperating, coeducational school. She
strengthened the cooperative curricular arrangements among Bryn
Mawr, Swarthmore and the University of Pennsylvania and was an
important participant in the effort to create an integrated
computerized library catalogue system for Bryn Mawr, Swarthmore
and Haverford.
Barnard Trustee Helene L. Kaplan, who headed the search committee,
said, "After considering more than 250 nominees, we have found in
Judith Shapiro someone who not only met, but indeed, surpassed our
criteria. She is an outstanding scholar and teacher; a proven
academic administrator whose eight years as provost have prepared
her, as few other positions can, for a college presidency. That
she held that position at a sister school, whose mission and
profile so closely match our own, makes her all the more
appealing. While there, she developed a keen understanding of the
relationships between institutions which will serve Barnard well."
In assuming the Barnard presidency, Shapiro goes from an
institution of 1100 undergraduate and about 600 graduate students,
a faculty and staff of over 600 and an endowment of $214 million
to an undergraduate institution of 2200 students, a faculty and
staff of over 700, and an endowment of $70 million. The colleges
are among the five remaining "sister" schools of the Ivy League--
liberal arts colleges dedicated to the education of women. Both
Barnard and Bryn Mawr, however, have connections to nearby coed
institutions. Barnard is affiliated with Columbia University.
President George Rupp said, "We are proud to welcome Judith
Shapiro back to the Columbia community, where 22 years ago, she
earned her Ph.D. in anthropology. During her distinguished career,
she has become a leading figure in undergraduate liberal arts
education as well as a noted scholar and teacher. Her presence as
Barnard's president will enhance all of undergraduate education in
the Columbia community. I look forward very much to working with
her."
As a scholar, she is noted as an early and significant contributor
to the crosscultural study of gender differences. Her field work
has taken her to the Great Basin of North America, and the
tropical forest societies of central and northern Brazil. She has
also done original anthropological studies of Catholic
missionaries.
She received a Bachelor of Arts in History from Brandeis
University magna cum laude in 1963 and then entered Columbia where
she studied with Barnard alumna Margaret Mead '23, as well as with
current members of Barnard's distinguished anthropology faculty.
From 1970 to 1975, she was an assistant professor of anthropology
at the University of Chicago. After joining the Bryn Mawr faculty
in 1975, she became an associate professor of anthropology in
1978. From 1982 to 1985, she chaired the department. Appointed
professor in 1985, she also served as acting dean of the
undergraduate college (1985-86) and as acting president in the
summer of 1988. She has published widely over the years in
scholarly journals and books.
Shapiro, who was born on Jan. 24, 1942, grew up in the New York
City borough of Queens. Educated in the city's public schools, she
started at PS 26, moved on to George Ryan Junior H. S. in
Flushing, and attended Jamaica High School, from which she
graduated in 1959.
Her parents, Herman and Lillian Shapiro, now live in Manhattan and
are both retired. Mr. Shapiro worked as an accountant; Mrs.
Shapiro, a librarian and Latin teacher, once headed the high
school library system for the New York City Board of Education.
Shapiro, who is divorced, has one sister, Susan Skea, who is a
psychiatrist in Boston.
Besides Green and Kaplan, Trustee members of the search committee
included Miriam G. Cedarbaum, Gedale B. Horowitz, Carol M. Lane,
Donald A. Pels, Anna Quindlen, Patricia C. Remmer and Lynn Walker.
The four Barnard faculty representatives were Professors Sally
Chapman, Susan R. Sacks, Alan Segal and Mirella Servodidio.
Barnard seniors Lena Bretous and Inessa Onefater were the student
representatives. And Corrine Rieder, Secretary of the University,
represented Columbia. Flora S. Davidson, associate dean of the
Barnard faculty, served as Secretary to the committee.